<p>I know, silly, but it's true....and it drives H crazy! lol</p>
<p>We can't seem to keep a reliable, reasonably strong flashlight in the house. </p>
<p>So, as a last minute extra Christmas gift, I thought I'd get one for H.</p>
<p>What do y'all recommend? I don't want to spend a fortune since I've already have bought him some "big stuff", just something maybe up to $50. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!!! </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>(and Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all!)</p>
<p>Costco sells a pack of two flashlights that you keep plugged in & also have a little nightlight.</p>
<p>I don't see it on their online site but I bet they still have it in the stores.</p>
<p>Costco sells the Maglite brand flashlights at a good price. That's what we use. Merry Christmas/Happy Chanukah to you also!</p>
<p>Try a light by MAGlite. They have them at Home Depot and I have seen them at Costco. They are the same flashlights cops and military folks use.</p>
<p>Oh yes Maglites are great- we have the same size cops use in the car. I worry about batteries running down/leaking, so we also have the plug in version.</p>
<p>I bought a Princeton Tec Attitude many, many years ago. It claimed something like 80 hours of runtime on a single set of batteries (4xAAA). I didn't believe it so I bought one and left it on for a day and it was still working. It is small, light and I keep it in my backpack and it has never failed me.</p>
<p>I also bought a pair of Streamlight flashlights. These are designed for use by utility workers and are waterproof and can take a considerable beating. Runtime is probably 100 hours on a set of batteries. We use NiMH batteries and charge them every three or four months.</p>
<p>I love these: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/HYBRID-POWERED-FLASHLIGHT-EMERGENCY-BATTERY/dp/B001NTT45Y%5B/url%5D">http://www.amazon.com/HYBRID-POWERED-FLASHLIGHT-EMERGENCY-BATTERY/dp/B001NTT45Y</a></p>
<p>Great suggestions!</p>
<p>I've decided to buy more than one....for home and cars. :)</p>
<p>SureFire</a> Flashlights - Your source for the most complete SureFire Product Line</p>
<p>These are the best -- surefire flashlights -- they will cut through smoke and shine a strong beam far away.</p>
<p>i just bought 3 sets of LED lithium ion flashlights that double as nite lites / emergency flashlights from Costco. They are now scattered around the house, plugged into electrical outlets. If I need a flashlight i simply lift one off its base and it turns on instantly! The brand is Eco-i-lite.</p>
<p>these are what EK was referring to, I believe.</p>
<p>I love my LLBean headlight. It is primarily sold as a camping light, but it is wonderful when the power goes out, and you need to keep your hands free. The light is bright, and they are very compact.</p>
<p>Trailblazer</a> Headlamp: Headlamps | Free Shipping at L.L.Bean</p>
<p>I used Maglites for years and had to replace several. I think they are over rated and over priced. Also it seems most models have not been updated to LEDs. Be sure to get LED flashlights. The bulbs don't burn out or break and the batteries last much, much longer.</p>
<p>I recently bought 12 LED flashlights on eBay for something like $9. They take 3 AAA batteries, which last a long time. Something like this:</p>
<p>Lot</a> Of 8 Mini 9 LED Flashlight Torch Bright Lamp Light 3 AAA 4 Colors Free Ship | eBay</p>
<p>I put a couple in each car and scattered the rest around the house in various drawers where I can find one quickly if I need one.</p>
<p>NRE, I think you found the best solution.</p>
<p>I like lightweight yellow plastic ones found in many stores- cheap also. We have a flashlight for practically every room and in each car. Better to have multiple cheap flashlights than one good one you can't locate. We don't try to keep all of the batteries fresh but have some spares to use in the ones needing it when we actually need them. The night the power is off is not the time to need to go to the one place you keep the flashlight. For regular use you can have the one good one.</p>
<p>Maglites have the feature where you can focus the beam and it appears that this is difficult to do with LED lights. That said, the much lower power consumption on LEDs makes them very attractive as emergency lights.</p>
<p>I think that plastic is a better material than metal these days unless you have to hit someone over the head with one (is that what they mean by tactical?).</p>
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</p>
<p>I second the Streamlights. Used to own one (before it fell out of my carry-on in an airplane. . . -__-)</p>
<p>Well-built, easy on the batteries (due to the fact it uses LED). The Streamlights are actually very bright.</p>
<p>I'd say buy two of the Streamlights.</p>
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<p>Surefire torches are very well-built. . .but none fall under triple-digit pricing. D:</p>
<p>We keep one of these hand crank flashlights in each car, so we never need to worry about corroding batteries given the hot/cold extremes: </p>
<p>Buy.com</a> - NEW No Battery 3 LED Dynamo Crank Wind Flashlight Torch</p>
<p>Also second the recommendations for MagLights. </p>
<p>Another brand I would recommend is Princeton Tech. You typically find their flashlights at scuba shops, however, I've seen them other places. They are very durable and the lights are quite bright.</p>
<p>I also bought a pair of Streamlight flashlights. These are designed for use by utility workers and are waterproof and can take a considerable beating. Runtime is probably 100 hours on a set of batteries.</p>
<p>Definitely need ones that can take a beating. that seems to be the issue...they get dropped.</p>
<p>Get an LLBean wind up flashlight. Great for when the power goes out...no need to worry about batteries.</p>
<p>Or get a solar powered lantern. That's what we got here.</p>